Hyatt Hotels Corporation awarded Grand Hyatt São Paulo the company’s second annual CEO’s Award for Innovation for its empathy-based approach to building emotional connections with guests and one another. Evaluated by President and CEO Mark Hoplamazian and a panel of leadership, the global award recognizes one hotel or team that has fostered innovation to positively evolve the guest experience.

Through use of Hyatt Thinking, which is derived from Stanford Design School’s approach to human-centered design, the team at Grand Hyatt São Paulo launched the “Sponsor of Love” initiative. This new way of expressing authentic hospitality to guests and colleagues has become an enduring part of Grand Hyatt São Paulo’s identity.

“Finding new ways to care for guests and each other as colleagues is the future of our business,” Hoplamazian said. “The team at Grand Hyatt São Paulo used Hyatt’s unique approach to listening and putting themselves in the shoes of others to redefine the experience for guests and colleagues. Feedback and results show the hotel’s colleagues are more engaged, and guests have taken notice of the deeper empathy and connection during their stays.”

After listening to guests and colleagues to determine their emotionally driven needs, colleagues heard loud and clear that guests’ preference for a hotel hinged on personal connections established with its people. As a result, the hotel launched an initiative and communications campaign to encourage new ways to build those connections and sharing of examples. A new back-of-house game allowed colleagues to move further in the game with each caring action and finish with a “Sponsor of Love” designation. There are now more than 250 ambassadors across the hotel.

The hotel’s colleagues have designed and implemented a revised pre-arrival experience, a welcome courtesy call after check-in, weekend tips for guests staying longer, new food availability during busy lobby periods, and a refreshed Very Important Kid (VIK) program. Additionally, the Sponsor of Love program continues to bring meaningful improvement in the hotel’s guest satisfaction measures and overall colleague engagement.

“We started this initiative more than a year ago, and it has really changed the way we operate and approach our mission of authentic hospitality. Sponsor of Love has helped us to unleash our potential so that we care for our guests and each other in a more holistic way and with a higher level of emotion,” said Thierry Guillot, general manager of Grand Hyatt São Paulo. “I am so proud of our team and what we have been accomplishing, and we are honored to receive this year the CEO’s Innovation Award.”